…NEDC Takes Lion’s Share in Humanitarian Ministry Budget
The House of Representatives Committee on National Security and Intelligence has expressed concern over the N595 billion allocated to the intelligence subsector, deeming it grossly inadequate for addressing the nation’s security challenges.
The committee urged President Bola Tinubu to instruct the Minister of Finance to ensure the full release of the 2024 capital allocation to the security and intelligence sector, emphasizing the critical importance of national security.
While commending the President for prioritizing security by allocating approximately N4.91 trillion to the defence and security sector in the 2025 Budget, the committee lamented that the intelligence subsector remains significantly underfunded.
Committee Chairman Ahmed Satomi (APC, Borno), during the budget defence session for agencies under the Office of the National Security Adviser, expressed regret that capital allocations to some intelligence agencies had not been released, while others received insufficient disbursements.
He disclosed that the intelligence subsector has been allocated N595 billion, comprising:
Capital expenditure: N274.55 billion
Overhead costs: N107.96 billion
Personnel costs: N212.51 billion
Humanitarian Ministry Budget Breakdown
Meanwhile, investigations by The Guardian revealed that the North-East Development Commission (NEDC) takes the largest share of the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction’s budget, receiving N297.59 billion out of the ministry’s total allocation of N337.31 billion.
This leaves only N39.72 billion for the remaining eight agencies and the parent ministry. Over 80% of the NEDC’s budget is earmarked for crisis recovery programmes, service delivery, livelihood initiatives, and other recurrent expenditures.
From the balance of N39 billion:
National Social Investment Programme Agency (NSIPA): N8.87 billion, primarily for the homegrown school feeding programme (N1.8 billion).
N-Power Project: N1.8 billion.
Government Enterprise and Empowerment Project (GEEP): N1.8 billion.
Office furniture: N1.8 billion.
Other agencies under the ministry, including the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants, and Internally Displaced Persons (NCFRMI), and the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), have allocations of N4.6 billion, N6.3 billion, and N7.04 billion, respectively.
The Commission for Persons with Disability (NCPWD) and the National Senior Citizens Centre will receive N2.3 billion and N1.2 billion, respectively, while the parent ministry’s allocation stands at N7.1 billion, covering salaries, local travel, training, office supplies, allowances, and other administrative costs.
